July 9, 2003

Name:

Scooter

Age:

One year old

Gender:

Male

Kind:

Hooded Rat

Home:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

My
rat is very special to me. From the day I got him, I knew he would
be a life-long friend. He is very smart. He uses his litter box every
day, and even if I accidentally leave his cage door open all day, he is
still safely in his cage, waiting for me when I get home. What makes my
rat really special is that he lives with a mouse named Cherio. Usually,
rats are known to eat mice that they are put with, but not Scooter. He
cares for this mouse like she is his child. The mouse's name is Cherio,
and she is a blonde female mouse. Scooter does not have any other rat
friends, so his only other friend other than my mother and I is Cherio.
At night, they snuggle together and go to sleep. Their sizes do not
separate them; Scooter is always willing to share his food and treats
with her, even though he is 3 times larger than her. Scooter was named
after a very nice dog that I once knew, and Cherio was named after the
cereal Cheerios because she looks like a little furry Cheerio. Scooter
will never leave my side. I can place him somewhere in my yard and run
15 feet away from him and he will come leaping to me. I have fallen
asleep before with my rat in my lap and I have woken up to see him right
there, sitting on my stomach. I know lots of people don't like rats,
but I hope that maybe, some of them may read this and change their minds
and give rats a chance.